I looked at an '06 Beaver at a Local Shop...Confused

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by ie2special

I did, they need replaced. The TV doesn't want to come out of its hidey hole, and the front mask has fiberglass marbling (is that what people call orange peel?)

The front is the 3M or Diamond shield failing. This is basically a adhesive paint shield. It has a high failure rate. It's not a matter of if it fails but when. Having it removed is a $600-1000 job. My TV mounted in the ceiling lift has worked fine for 11 years so the unit itself is very robust. Likely a simple issue that you can require to be repaired.

[tomckeon]

Originally Posted by ie2special

Oh MY word, a good sam 1 year warranty is:

Term 1 Year Deductible $500 Deductible Total Premium $3,424.79 Quarterly Payments $862.20 Monthly Payments $289.40 Additional Options Seals And Gaskets Selected Tires Protection Selected

you can do MUCH better than this quote on a similar year coach,

[Lincolnboy2]

Originally Posted by ie2special

SO if you have read any of my posts you know that I am asking a LOT of questions. And BTW I always use the search function before I post a thread Anyway...We looked at a MH near our house. Here is the link.

2006 Patriot Thunder Saratoga Class A Motorhome for Sale [Stock No. T038144]

It has been there a while and I never gave it much thought but they had 2 others I was interested in so I went and looked.

First, I like it a lot. Thanks to one of the members I have the sales brochure and it is a 2007 Floorplan with 2007 options but is sold as a 2006. The problem is this, Hubby is scared of something used. He knows the benefit but we know NOTHING about these things mechanically. I have no idea what to look for.

We know that we can hire someone but this is a small area. How do we know we hire someone reputable and not someone with a deal with the dealership or a competitor that may steer us wrong?

Are there any warning signs to look for on this model?

Personally, I like it a lot but that is a lot of money to spend on a money pit

Dear friends have a 2006 Beaver Monterrey, (sp) and just spent 20,000 on their Cat Engine. Less than 80,000 miles on it. Always maintained immaculately and that's not the first problem, they had issues with it when it was a couple years old too, but I don't know enough about the facts to make a clear warning on the Cat engine. I know that their blower (turbocharger) failed somehow and fins got into the intake manifold and damaged heads/sleeves or something......$20,000 for a total rebuild and new blower.

I know Caterpillar builds excellent stuff, its just something on that particular model that there were issues.


Sorry I don't know the particulars, but I know when I went out searching on the Cat C-7 (or was it C-9) engine, there were known issues on it....

Hope this helps!

[DtBt]

Very low miles. It has sit way too much. Motorhomes are made to be used. I did not check the book value but I would say they are asking more than it is worth. Most people will shy away from a big CAT like the C13 because of the problems beginning in 2007, CAT being out of OTR market now and perceived lower fuel mileage than Cummins. I have the same engine (KCB series) and love its performance and reliability but only get 6 MPG. I did use the CAT engine negatives to bargain at purchase time.

[Davdeb1]

That's a special coach. It sure isn't out of line price wise, it comes down to condition and negotiation. Get the car fax and service history first. Just look at it like any other coach as far as inspection. What is making you nervous is its just such a awesome coach!

You've got some great advice here, just follow it.

[Garbageman]

It looks like a great coach. I would give these guys a call and ask them for some advice/questions RV & Travel Trailers For Sale Phoenix & Sacramento | Used RVs & Motorhomes Seattle | RV Repair & Dealers Boise | Utility Trailer Sales Bend - Beaver Coach Sales & Service The are in Bend, OR, home of the original Beaver motorhomes. A lot of the people who work there worked for the original and they are very knowledgeable and helpful. They do have some Thunders on their lot that you can look at, through their website, to compare with what you are looking at locally.

Good luck

Paul

[tankcj]

The Beaver Patriot Thunder is a nice coach but it is hard tell what kind of shape it is really in in those pictures. 13k miles is really low but it has a 1k hours on the gen which means it was used...and if they also used it with access to 30-50 amp service it may have even more use than you realize but in no way does that mean it was abused. Providing the tires are recent, there is no delamination and everything works, I would say that price seems like a good deal to me!...

BTW - you can contact Monaco with the VIN and they can give you a copy of the window sticker so you can see what options it came with. You can also contact CAT with the engine number and they can tell you what the engine actually dyno'd (horsepower and torque) at from the factory.

[ie2special]

Great advice!

Thanks!

[Lee0920]

Just love how folks bad mouth Cat motors but love the performance. Best truck motors ever made, had a couple and also blew up a couple of Cummaparts. C 13 and C 15 are great motors and will last forever.

[distaff]

The arithmetic on new/used is pretty simple. Look at what you have to pay for a new coach, look at what they sell for a year old. Realize the dealer sells for that price, the owner sold to the dealer for at most 90% of that price, often closer to 75% of the dealer sale price. Not knocking dealers, they put capital at risk to buy it, then have to pay for a lot that it sits on, advertising, and a commission to someone to sell it, but recognize that what you see them sell for is NOT likely what you will sell it for.

Now, consider the price of a 7 year old coach, and the difference will pay for a LOT of repairs. A good truck shop should be able to give you a pretty good idea of the state of the running gear. Oil analysis is a cheap way to find out what is going on inside the engine. Won't help with a blown turbo, but life is not without risks.